Portable electric light.



U. HUBERT.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

APPLIQATION FILED JUNE 27, 1913.

1,075,827, Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

w g 11 g 8 WITNESSES" INVENTOR Br I 5 a 4 W. ATTORNEY in the county of New UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CONRAD HUBERT, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PORTAZBLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14., 1913.

Application filed June 27, 1913. Serial No. 776,057.

- hand for useicommonly called flash lights,

A broad object vof my invention is'to give easy access to the miniature electric lamp for etfectin renewals, and a more particular object is to so economize the space occupied by the circuit-closer within the casing that the battery may be inserted or removed at the top of the casing after the removal of a cover which carries the lamp.

.Other objects of my invention are nonliability of accidental closure of the circuit and certainty of retention of closed circuit condition without efli'ort of the operator, simplicity of construction, neatness of appearance, inexpensiveness of manufacture,

durability, certainty of operation-and of operable condition, and" convenience of operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes a bodily slidable circuit-closing member to which is pivoted a circuit-completing contact finger, the easing of the light being provided with guides for the circuit-closing member and for the contact finger. More particularly, the circuit-closing member forms a housing, at the outside of the casing and the pivoted con: tact finger projects from within the housing to the inside of the casing and is adapted to fold fiat against the inner surface of the wall of the casing to permit the battery to lee-inserted or removed at the topof the casing.

My liivfiili/lon also further includes novel features of construction and combinations of parts, as will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the portable electric light illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodying" my invention and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 1s a longitudinal section of the casing and movable circuit-closing mem'ber,.

with the circuit in the open condition. Fig. 2 is an elevation as viewed from the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section and with parts omitted, with the circuit maintained in closed condition. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the casing as viewed from the left in Fig. L Fig. 5 is an elevation of the circuit-completing means, without the casing, as seen in Fig.4,

but before the side lugs have been turned over to effect attachment to the casing.

In the portable electric light illustrated 111 .the drawings and to which my invention is particularly applicable, a flattened and rounded sheet metal casing '1, permanently closed at one end, is closed at the other end by a lamp-carrying and battery-retaining removable cover 2 telescoping into the easing and having a lamp-receiving socket 3 into which is screwed a miniature incandescent lamp 4. The'casing removably contains a battery 5 having projecting resilient contact 'strips or contact springs 6 and 7, forming battery terminals, of which the strip 6 extends partly across the end of the battery in position to be directly engaged by the center terminal of the lamp (Fig. 1)

and the other contact strip 7 is exposed within the casing and projects from the'cnd of the battery in position to be engaged by the movable contact finger of the circuitcloser forming the subject of the present invention, such contact finger being mounted on the casing inelectrical connection therewith and the other lamp terminal being in electrical connection with the casing at th lamp socket.

In the circuit-closer embodying my invention illustrated in the drawings, a bodilyslidable sheet metal circuit-closing member 8-.is mounted on the casing b means of latteralcombined guidelugs an attaching lugs which extend tolthe inside of the casing through parallel guide slots 9 (Figs. 2 and 4), these-lugs being turned over at the inside .of the casing and being slidable in the parallel guide slots or guideways 9.

The circuit-closing member 8 is outwardly rounded or bulgedat its middle to form a housing at the outside of the casing, and the longitudinally rounded pro ectionof the housing is readily engageable by the thumb or finger for manual actuation, be-

ing shown as exteriorly roughened for this :purpOSG.

-A sheet metal contact finger has a sleeve p-ivotedon a pivot pin 11 which is fixed at its ends in the side walls of the C11- cuit-closing member 8 and extends transversely of the circuit-closing member midway of its length within the housing formed thereby. The contact finger 10 projects to the inside ofthe casing through a fingerguiding slot 12 in the casing transversely to and between the outer portions of the parallel guide slots 9. The portion of the contact finger adjacent to the pivot sleeve is curved inwardly so as to pass through the finger-guiding slot 12 and be properly guided thereby. The terminal portion of the contact finger 10 beyond the inwardly curved guide' portion is straight and is joined to the curved portion by a rather short reverse bend so that the straight terminafl portion of the contact finger is 'disposed substantially parallel to the curved portion at the point where it joins the pivot sleeve. This shape of the pivoted contact .finger 10 enables it to cooperate with the other parts of the device to produce the desired results.

the curved guide portion of the contact finger 11 is contained almost" entirely within the housing formed by the circuit-closing member 8 at the outside of the casing and the straight terminal portion of the contact finger l1 lies fiat against the inner surface of the casing 1, out of the path of the battery 5 as it is inserted into or removedfrom the casing, as clearly appears in Fig. 1. However, although it can be so completely retracted, the contact finger 10 is of sufii'cient length and has 'sufii cient shifting'movement at its free contact-mak- 40 ing end to readily firmly close the circuit without the necessity oi any exact positioning of the exposed projecting contact strip 7 of the battery 5, as clearly appears from Fig. 3.

Movement of the manually actuatable circuit-closing member 8 a comparatively short distance will result in the complete shifting of the contactfinger 10 from the open circuit to. the closed circuit position or vice 5 versa, as will be clearly apparent by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3. The circuit will be securely maintained in either the open or closed condition by reason of the friction of the circuit-closing member 8 and the contact 5.5 finger 10 with the guiding surfaces of the casing. In this connection .it should be noted, as appears in Fig. 3, that the circuitclosing thrust or pressure of the contact finger IO-against the battery contact strip 7 is 7 to nearly perpendicular to the direction of bodily sliding movement of the circuit-closing member 8, sothat such pressure will not only have no tendency to move the circuitclosing member 8 away from the closed cir- -es cuit position, but will develop additional When the circuit is open,

ferred to is that the lamp 4: is rendered readily accessible from the inside, so that it' can very conveniently be placed in position or removed. It will be understood that my invention makes it possible to employ the same casing cover 2 for gaining access both to the lamp 4 and the battery 5.

It is obvious't-hat various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

1. A circuit-closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, a casing having guideways for a circuit-closing member and also having a guide for a contact finger, a bodily slidable circuit-closing member-mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing, and a contact finger pivoted to the circuit-closing member and projecting therefrom past the finger guide'and terminating in a free contact-making end portion adapted to be shifted by the finger guide to or from contact-making position upon movement of the circuit-closing member.

2. A circuit-closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, a casing having guideways and having therein a guide aperture for a contact finger, a bodily slidable circuit-closing member mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing and having a manually actuatable portion at the outside of the casing, pivoted to the circuit-closing member at the outside of the casing and projecting through the guide aperture to the inside of the easing and terminating within the casing in a free contact=making end portion so that movement of the circuit-closing member will shift the contact-making portion of the contact finger to or rom contactanaking position. a

3. A circuit-closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, a casing having guideways and having therein a guide aperture for a contact finger, a bodily slidable circuit-closing member mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing and having a manually actuatable portion at the outside of. the casing, and a contact finger pivoted to the circuit-closing member at the outside of the casing and projecting through the guide aperture to the inside of the casing, the contact finger having a curved por- "[1011 cooperative with the guide aperture and havlng a straight ternnnahportmn and a contact finger light comprising, in combination-,a casing slide along the 'uideways of the casing and havinv a manually. actuatable portion forming a housingat the outsldeof the casing, such housing covering the guide aperture in ,the casing, and a contact finger pivoted to the circuit-closing member within the housing thereof and projecting through the. guide aperture "to the inside of the casing and adapted to be moved to or from contactmaking position by movement of the circuitclosing member to bring about cooperation of the contact finger with the walls of the guide aperture.

5. A circuitloser for a portable electric light comprising,'in combination, a casing having guideways and having therein a guide aperture for a contact finger, a bodily slidable circuit clos ing member mounted to slide alongthe 'guidew'ays of the casing and having a manually actuatable portion forming a housing at the outside of the casing, such housing covering the guide aperture in the casi11g, a'nd a contact finger having a curved guiding, ortion' pivoted to the circuit-closlng mem thereby and the; contact finger also having a straight terminal portion within the casing and adapted to lie flat against the inner surface of the casing when the contact finger is out of contact-making position, the con tact finger being moved to or from contactmaking position by reason of cooperation of the curved guidin portion of the contact finger with the wa ls of the :guide aperture ibipon movement of the circuit-closing mem- 6. Acircuit-closer for a portable electric having therein parallel guide slots and also having transversely to and between the parallel guide slots a guide slot for a contact finger, a bodily 'slid'able sheet metal circuitclosing member having a manually actuatable portion forming a housing covering the guide aperture at the'. outside of thecasingprovided with combined-guide lugs and attaching lugs extending to the insldeof the casing through the parallel guide slots and guided thereby, a pivotpin carried. by

and extending transversely across the houss er within the housing and projecting to the inside of the casing through the guide aperture and guided.

ing of the circuit-closing member, and asheet metal contact finger having a sleeve ournaled on the pivot pm and having a curved guiding portion projecting from the sleeve to the inside of the casing through the finger guiding slot and guided thereby and the contact finger also having a straight terminal portion within the casing and adapted to lie fiat against the inner surface of the casing when the contact finger is out of contact-making position.

7. In a circuit-closer for a portable electric light, the combination of a circuit-closing member shaped to form a housing, and a contact finger pivoted within the housing formed by the circuit closing member and projectable from such housing.

8. In a circuit-closer for a portable electric light, the combination of a sheet metal circuit-closing member shaped to form a housing, a pivot pin mounted in the housing formed by such circuit-closing member, and

'a sheet metal contact finger pivoted on the pivot pin and projectable from such housm i). A circuit-closer for a portable electric light, comprising, in combination, circuitcompleting means including a bodily slidable circuit-closing member, and a pivotally shiftable contact finger pivoted to such member and shiftable on its-pivot to orfrom contact-making position.

10. A circuit closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, circuitcompleting means including apivoted contact finger, and a bodily slidable circuit-closing member cooperating with the contact finger to shift it on its pivot to or from contact-making position.

11. A circuit closer for a portable electric comprising, in combination, a casing having a guide for a contact finger, a pivoted contact finger projecting from its pivot past the finger guide and terminating in a free contact-making end portion adapted to be shifted by the finger guide to or from contact-making position upon movement of the contact finger at its pivot, and means for controlling and guiding the contact finger at its pivot so that movement ofthe contact finger at its pivot will shift the contactmaking portion of the finger to or from contact-making position.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two wi'tnesses.

CONRAD HUBERT.

Witnesses:

HARRY C. Lnwrs, J ornv W. WALLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Fatents. I

Washington, D. G. 

